Your Job Is to Put Across the Action and Dialogue of the Play As

For the actors For the producer. Your job is to put across the action and dialogue of the play as Clearly, effectively and imaginatively as you can. Clarity: Avoid dropping your voice because of the microphone. Your job is to organise the recording; to make it as effective and Speak naturally and leave it to the producer to set the volume con lively as possible You control the recorder and direct the actors trol to suit. and the rest of the production team. You decide what goes on to Obey all the fundamental rules of~ speaking-stand or sit the tape. upright; keep plenty of breath; get your tongue. teeth and lips Recording has its own skills and jargon. Here are some of the around the words; do not hurry or dawdle; do not squeak or terms and techniques you will find useful in producing a good groan; let it flow. programme. But remember that production techniques are to help Speak across or to one side of the microphone to avoid losing put the play across, not for their own sake. sound. Remember to act to the microphone not to the other characters. Keep still, as a head turn may appear as a change of position. Gestures detract from your performance. THE FADES Effect: keep the play moving-the audience has nothing to look it. Use these like the curtain in a stage play; to begin and end, and Be very quick on your cue: make sure you are ready to speak and separate each section. Great effect can be produced by using start: the split second the other speaker has stopped. appropriate music before, after and between fades. When you prepare your lines always imagine who, Fade in: turn volume control from silence to correct sound level. what and where you are. What is the situation? How would your Fade out: back to silence, character react? What must you make your voice do to suggest Fade down: turn down from correct sound level to very quiet. Tension, relief disappointment, hate, amusement and the many Fade up: back to correct sound level. other emotions. Always think in term of voice. Microphone positions Use them to prevent your recording sounding flat. If all the actors stand the same distance from the microphone the result lacks atmosphere and perspective. For the sound effects

Space your actors at various distances around the microphone. operators Try to avoid any two being exactly the same distance away unless they are supposed to be standing on the same spot. Consider whether you are trying to convey a cosy kitchen or a large hall act your distances to suit. Think in terms of four basic positions: Your job is to provide the back-ground noises that add realism It is Close-mike: 18 inches, 2 feet. Useful for narrators, main characters. important to keep them in the background; they are to improve the This sets the listeners viewpoint.play, not replace it. Do not overdo the noise Away-mike: distance various according to setting. For people Footsteps should not thump too loud or too long. across rooms, on telephones, in doorways. Doors should open and dose, not crash back and slim to. Distant-mike: still further away. Suggest the sounds, let the listener's imagination help you. Very distant mike: 11 feet plus. For people shouting. beyond windows, some distance along street If a sound is doubtful, or seems to add little to the effect, then leave it out. Results vary according to different microphones, tape-recorders Make use of positions between these main ones if you have a or acoustics. Experiment to see what works for you. large number of actors to deal with. The best test is your ear. Set The following basic materials should help: the actors out, run through a piece of dialogue and see if it listen. A shallow wooden box. Make your alterations accordingly. Pieces of hardboard, cardboard, glass, tin-plate, formica or ply -wood cut to fit the bottom of the box. The turns Empty cardboard boxes (useful for holding other things as well as Use these to suggest movement towards and away. for the sounds they will produce). Turn off-mike: the actor starts talking facing the microphone and Various sizes of bottles. gradually move until he/she has his back to it. He appears to have moved Plastic caps, saucers, bowls and jugs. away. Heavy rubber bands. Length or two of batten. Turn on-mike: the actor starts talking facing away from the micro- Pieces of sandpaper and emery-paper. phone and gradually turns towards it. He/she seems to have moved Rods of wood and metal. several paces forward. A length of metal pipe (useful for bells). By turning off-mike while at close-mike and stepping silently to A roller skate, or Dinky toy. away-mike and turning off-mike again the actor can make it appear Toys with assorted clockwork motors. that he is walking some considerable distance away. Containers of sand, pebbles, rice, dried peas The producer's team A bunch of keys. To help you with your job it is as well to have in enthusiastic team Assorted nails, pins and screws. of helpers. Recruits should be sought for the following: A funnel Studio manager arranges desks, chairs. Sees to positioning of the Large tins. actors with the help of You will see the uses of many of these in the section on 'Sound Continuity secretary: makes a note of any decisions about mike-posi- effects. But it is up to you to experiment. Listen to a box of tions, effects to be used, material for these, records required. watches rattling and record it at various distances; see what effect Recorder manager: sets up recorder, microphones, mixer, you get from the hum of a clockwork motor; try dropping sand. and such like. His assistant is the rice, dried peas on to a variety of surfaces. Emergency Engineer switches off at the main plug and recorder See what noises are produced by common objects. Take a text- switch if anything goes wrong. book, try tapping it gently and vigorously with a pencil. Riffle the Sound effects team two or three devise and produce spot effects pages. Walk your fingers across it, scratch the surface with your during performance. Another cues in pre-recorded material. fingernails. Listen to the results. Try it again with the microphone Cuemaster: makes sure that actors and sound effects men are ready closer or farther away. You will be surprised at the difference, on cue, particularly if they have had a long pause and A torch is useful and you will have added many more ideas to your sound-effects. for flashing signals.

Sound effects

Bottle opening, gurgling. Use actual bottle with cork and water. Keep some distance from microphone. Car: best effect by pre-recording actual car. Use vocal imitation. Heavy engine effect by lowering tape-speed. Clatter of dry stalks: held pencils rattled together. Can tie with long thread, one inch apart, slacken and tighten. Dog: howling, barking, panting, etc.

Doors 1. Opening and closing: use cupboard door or classroom door. Use miniature door made in woodwork room. Obtain reasonable effect with catches of attache case stuffed to bursting with tapes, recording gear, etc. 2. Slamming: use batten or blackboard ruler, held down firmly at one end, raised and sprung. let drop. Vary effect by padding under slamming end. 3. Creaking door: slowly open blackboard compass. Drag dry fingers across an inflated balloon. Hang on a cupboard door and open it. Screw two pieces of wood together, put resin on inside surfaces, twist them. 4. Rattles and jingles: shake a bunch of keys. Slide coins in plastic or china bowl. Door bolt: real one mounted on piece of wood.

Explosions, shots, etc: 1. Gunshot: strike padded surface with a stick. 2. Distant gunfire roll sand-filled bottle along desk in front of microphone. 3. Cannon: bursting paper bag or pricking balloon with volume control full on. 4. Falling masonry: tip box of assorted stones on to hard surface; drop cardboard box of broken glass; bang two hollow cardboard boxes together; breathe on microphone.

Footsteps: record live if not too much room boom, or:

1. Marking time in gravel-filled box. 2. Walk fingers along shallow cardboard box lined with hardboard. 3.Use thimbles on fingers for hard sound. 4. Walk a short length of wood around microphone, rocking for foot action. 5. On gravel: walk fingers along surface covered with rice. Ovaltine, cereal. 6. On stairs downstairs-make peculiar lolloping sound and fade up: upstairs-no heel sound-series of flat thuds.

Rustles 1. Paper: use actual paper. 2. Leaves and undergrowth: nude old recording tape, burnt paper, strips of tinfoil. 3. Sawing: Saw with string across edge of piece of wood. 4. Scratch of match: Use safety match-others too noisy.

Scream: Keep at distant mike, not too long.

Tapping 1. Blind man's stick: pencil on brick or tile.

2. Baton: pencil on plastic surface.

Telephone 1. Bell: rig a simple electric bell in box with batteries and finger push. Short double rings for town; long single rings for country. 2. Lifting and replacing receiver: placing plastic cup on inverted plastic saucer. 3. Speech: person presumed at other end talks into glass or funnel, or through tin with both ends cut out. 4. Dialling tone, engaged tone: vocal imitation.

Thuds, blows, slaps: 1. use fist or open hand into palm of other hand. Timing best if done by person who is supposed to be hit so he can grunt appropriately. Dull thuds with covered baton on to padded surface, or hand on to clothed arm, etc.

Wind: blow across microphone letting air flow around finger or pencil or card. Whistle: vocal imitation. Whip of wood attached on either side of a wooden handle. Slapped against varied surfaces. 1 Sound effects Footsteps: record live W not too much room boom, or: 1. Marking time in gravel-filled box. 2. Walk fingers along shallow cardboard box lined with hard board. Use thimbles on fingers for bard sound. Walk a short length of wood around microphone, rocking for foot action. Sound effects for the six plays (in alphabetical order) 4. On gravel: walk fingers along surface covered with rice, Ovaltine, Bottle opening, gurgling. Use actual bottle with cork and water. cereal. Keep some distance from microphone. 5. On -rtairs: downstairs-make peculiar lolloping sound and fade Car: best effect by pre-recording actual car. Use vocal imitation by up: upstairs-no heel sound-series of flat thuds. boys. Heavy engine effect by lowering tape-speed. Clatter of dry Triffid stalks: held pencils rattled together. Can tie with long thread, one inch apart, slacken and tighten. 1. Paper: use actual paper. Dog: howling, barking, panting, etc. Use vocal imitation by boy. 2. Leaves and undergrowth rustle old recording tape, burnt piper, Doors strips of tinfoil. 1. Opening and closing: use cupboard door or classroom door. Use Sawing: Saw with string across edge of piece of wood. miniature door made in woodwork room. I obtain reasonable Scratch match Use safety match-others too noisy. - effect with catches of attache case stuffed to bursting with tapes, Scream: Keep at distant mike, not too long. T. a ppin

recording gear, etc. g 2. Slamming: use batten or blackboard ruler, held down firmly at 1. Blind man's stick: pencil on brick or tile. one end, raised and sprung, let drop. Vary effect by padding Baton: pencil on plastic surface. under slamming end. 3. Creaking door: slowly open blackboard compass. Drag dry Telephone fingers across an inflated balloon. Rang on a cupboard door 1. Bell: rig a simple electric hen in box with batteries and finger push. Short double rings for town; long single rings for country. and open it. Screw two pieces of wood together. put resin on 2. Lifting and replacing receiver: placing plastic cup on inverted inside surfaces, twist them. plastic saucer. 4. Rattles and jingles: shake a bunch of keys. Slide pennies in plastic 3. Speech: person presumed at other end talks into glass or funnel, or china bowl. or through tin with both ends cat our. .1. Door bolt: red one mounted on piece of wood. 4. Dialling tone, engaged tone: vocal imitation. Explosions, shots, etc: use vocal imi ta ion by bo ys, o r: Thuds, blows, slaps: use fist or open hand into palm of other hand. 1. Gunshot: strike padded surface with a stick. Timing best if done by person who is supposed to be hit so he can 3. Distant gunfire: roll sand-filled bottle along desk in front of grunt appropriately. Dull thuds with covered baton on to padded microphone. surface, or hind on to clothed arm, etc. 3. Cannon: bursting paper bag or pricking balloon with volume Wind: blow across microphone letting air flow around finger or control full on. pencil or card. 4. Falling masonry: tip box of assorted stones on to hard surface; Whistle of Triffid sting: vocal imitation. drop cardboard box of broken glass; bang two hollow card- Whip: Two thin, pliable strips of wood attached on either side of a board boxes together; breathe on microphone. wooden handle. Slapped against varied surfaces.